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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What lie does Giovanna tell Angela and Ida for the first time in Part II?

2. Where in Italy does Giovanna live?

3. When does Ida tell Giovanna she sometimes looks ugly?

4. What does Giovanna have planned for May 23 in Part II?

5. How many children did Enzo have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Giovanna discover in her parents' photo albums?

2. Where does Giovanna go with Vittoria when Vittoria comes to her door in Part II?

3. What do Giovanna and Angela frequently do that makes Ida feel left out when all three girls sleep over together?

4. How does Vittoria think Andrea is responsible for Enzo's death?

5. How does Giovanna feel about Vittoria after their first meeting?

6. Why is Giovanna so interested in her Aunt Vittoria in Part I?

7. What does Giovanna overhear her father telling her mother about her two years before he leaves the family?

8. What do Andrea's siblings seem to think of Andrea when Vittoria takes Giovanna to meet them?

9. How do Giovanna's parents react when she says she wants to meet Vittoria?

10. What does Vittoria tell Giovanna about a gift she supposedly gave Giovanna when she was a baby?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Giovanna feel about her father, Andrea, as the novel begins? Why do you think Giovanna is so stung by Andrea's comment that she is beginning to resemble his estranged sister Vittoria? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What does Giovanna notice is different about her father's attitudes towards the family he grew up in - towards his siblings and his parents - than almost everyone else she knows in Naples? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your findings.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining what you think Giovanna means at the very end of the novel when she says of her impending trip to Venice with Ida,"On the train, we promised each other to become adults as no one ever had before" (322).

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